We now know the identity of the U.S. general killed in Afghan insider attack at training facility

Army general among at least 10 other casualties in Afghanistan insider attack

Army general was killed Tuesday near Kabul, Afghanistan

An American general was killed and more than a dozen people were wounded, including a German general, in the latest insider attack by a man believed to be an Afghan soldier, U.S., German and Afghan officials said on Tuesday.

A U.S. official said Maj. Gen. Harold Greene died in the attack near Kabul and was believed to be the most senior U.S. military official killed in action in Afghanistan since the war there began in 2001. The shooter was killed in the attack, and 15 others others were wounded.

Harold J. Greene

U.S. Army

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Harold Greene was killed in Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Harold Greene was killed in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army)

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters that "many were seriously wounded" and the gunman was killed in the attack, which took place on Tuesday at the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, a training center in Kabul.

The attack raised fresh questions about the ability of NATO soldiers to train and advise Afghan security forces as western nations gradually withdraw. The U.S. and German generals were on a routine visit, the Pentagon said.

A U.S. official said the gunman fired on the foreign soldiers using a light machinegun. Afghanistan's Defense Ministry described him as a "terrorist in army uniform."

The German military said its general was one of 14 coalition troops wounded in Tuesday's attack. It said his life was not in danger. Seven Americans and five British troops were among the wounded, an Afghan official said.

Past insider attacks have eroded trust while straining foreign efforts to train Afghanistan's 350,000-strong security force and prepare them to fight the Taliban once most U.S. and NATO forces depart.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone with General Joe Dunford, who commands U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan, about the incident, Kirby said. He said the shooting was being investigated jointly by Afghan authorities and the international military coalition that is winding down its long mission in Afghanistan.

The Afghan president was quick to condemn the attack, saying the delegation had been visiting the facility to help build Afghanistan's security forces.

The Taliban says insider attacks reflect their ability to infiltrate the enemy. International military coalition officials say the incidents often arise over misunderstandings or altercations between troops.

In 2012, dozens of incidents forced international troops to take measures to reduce interaction with their Afghan partners. Since then, the number of insider attacks has fallen sharply.

Like other western nations, the United States is planning to leave a residual force in Afghanistan after the NATO mission ends this year, in part to support Afghan forces. But U.S. officials say that first they must sign a bilateral troop deal, which cannot be finalized until Afghanistan resolves an election dispute and confirms its new president.

"Today at 12 p.m., a terrorist in an army uniform opened fire on international partners and other Afghan officers, wounding several."- Afghanistan Ministry of Defense statement

In a similar attack on Tuesday, several people were wounded in eastern Paktia province when a policeman opened fire on international and Afghan forces, police chief Zalmay Oryakhil said.

Adding to the tension, a NATO air strike hit a vehicle carrying civilians in western Herat province, local officials said, killing four members of a family returning from a wedding, including two children.

A gunman believed to be an Afghan soldier opened fire Tuesday at a military academy in Kabul, killing a U.S. Army major general and wounding 14 others in one of the bloodiest fratricidal attacks of the 13-year war in Afghanistan.